This invention relates to poultry processing apparatus and more particularly to poultry processing devices utilizing elongated, flexible, resilient picking fingers which contact and remove feathers from the poultry during movement through an enclosure on a continuously moving conveyor. Processing equipment of this type is known in the art and a system in which the present invention may be utilized is illustrated in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,892, issued Feb. 20, 1973 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING POULTRY. As described therein, the apparatus for processing poultry includes a generally closed elongated enclosure having poultry entry and exit extremities. A conveyor running through the enclosure conveys the poultry along a predetermined path and picking means within the enclosure are positioned adjacent the path for contacting the birds as they are conveyed thereby and for removing the feathers therefrom. With respect to the actual picking operations, a typical fowl picking machine utilizing counter-rotating drums in which pairs of drums are mounted in individual assemblies for operating on the poultry as it passes therethrough is disclosed in commonly assigned application Ser. No. 493,023, filed July 30, 1974, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,850, issued June 1, 1976 entitled COUNTER-ROTATING FOWL PICKER. The apparatus disclosed therein includes opposing picking assemblies adjustable to accommodate fowl or poultry of various sizes.
Rotary drum-type poultry picking machines are known in the art. Since the specific details of construction of such picking assemblies are well known to those skilled in the art, they will not be described in greater detail. It is noted, however, that most prior mechanisms, although functionally adequate, were difficult to clean, repair and maintain. An advance in this respect is illustrated in the aforementioned applicaion Ser. No. 493,023 wherein cleaning, maintenance and repair was greatly facilitated by the provision for individual support of counter-rotating pairs of picking drums and by means of a cover member removable at the exterior of the housing to provide access to the interior of the drums. Typically, however, access to the individual drums for replacement of the flexible picking fingers, removal of accumulated feathers or other foreign materials, lubrication of bearings and the like has proven difficult.